There was the usual speculation yesterday about what was going to happen at the EU summit over the next two days. Was Mrs May going to get anything useful from her EU27 counterparts or not? Peter Foster, The Telegraph's Brussels correspondent (a thankless task I should imagine) wrote an article with four possible outcomes - behind a paywall but you can see it HERE.
These were:
- The Door is left ajar
- May gets a clear commitment
- EU Leaders stick to their guns
- The Salzburg option - a full scale blow up
My money was on the third option and as we see this morning the BBC are reporting this is precisely what happened (HERE). In fact if anything it was a humiliation with some diplomats describing her performance as bad and vague. So, not only didn't she get what she wanted but Juncker said we need to be clear about what we it is we actually did want! This is two years after we voted to leave the EU. Amazing.
From promising to build a country that works for everyone, Mrs May has begun the work by negotiating a deal that works for no one and announcing her early retirement in two years time.
She was in Brussels trying to get the second of Foster's options, a change to the legal wording of the Withdrawal Agreement which she and the cabinet approved a few days ago. Effectively, they approved a legally binding text bringing the backstop into play if we cannot finalise the trade deal by end of December 2020. Now they want another legally binding text to confirm that the EU won't hold us to it. This is going to take a bit of doing - good luck with that one.
May is making a habit of going to Brussels to beg for help. I suppose it is a reminder to the EU when they see her on the red carpet of that old saying about an impecunious friend in need being a pain in the a**e.
We have effectively gone from having one of the 28 seats around the table of the European Council to playing an accordion outside the Berlaymont building, dressed in rags with a begging bowl.
Foster's article contains this telling section about the EU sticking to its guns:
In this scenario the leaders are not convinced by Mrs May or the merits of creating a rival legal text that could tie the process of dealing with the UK in legal knots further down the line. The EU is aware that the governance of the EU-UK relationship is going to be difficult in the years to come, with an Arbitration Panel and a Review Panel ruling on disputes. They expect the British side to do a lot of complaining.
This is nothing new is it? It is exactly how we are as a nation. What the Aussies know as whingeing Poms. The Brexiteers probably came out of the womb complaining about the EU and will die doing exactly the same. As Alastair Birt, the fomer junior minister tweeted yesterday:
They never, ever stop. Votes against them, letters going in late- nothing matters to ERG. After the apocalypse, all that will be left will be ants and Tory MPs complaining about Europe and their leader. https://t.co/n3Jt04CjJe— Alistair Burt (@AlistairBurtUK) December 12, 2018
The
Brexiteers managed to convince half the population that Brexit was in
their interests, by making an all purpose bogeyman out of the EU. And
they will soon be like the old communists in the Soviet Union. When it
all starts to go wrong excuses will be trotted out that (a) it is not the fault of Brexit (b) things will be
much better next year and (c) the blame belongs to the bogeyman across the
Channel. Every political statement will be dedicated to creating a narrative of the EU as our sworn enemy to build resentment in each new generation.
The EU will be the Orwellian super state with whom we will be
in a permanent diplomatic and economic war with. It will suit the Brexiteers just fine to keep up the pretence that all our problems have 'made in Germany' stamped on them.
Welcome to Brexit.
What happened last night is perhaps a harbinger of things to come. Another humiliation to pile on the others. All brought upon ourselves. The EU are proceeding to ratify the agreement and stepping up no deal planning with more advice to be published on 19th December. The ante is being upped.
Sir Ivan Rogers gave an excellent speech yesterday in Liverpool with some terrific insights into Brexit, where we are now and what the future holds. I'll post something on it later today.
What happened last night is perhaps a harbinger of things to come. Another humiliation to pile on the others. All brought upon ourselves. The EU are proceeding to ratify the agreement and stepping up no deal planning with more advice to be published on 19th December. The ante is being upped.
Sir Ivan Rogers gave an excellent speech yesterday in Liverpool with some terrific insights into Brexit, where we are now and what the future holds. I'll post something on it later today.
